POULSBO — Fragments from Poulsbo’s past, buried for decades and long forgotten in Raab Park, have been discovered.

They are the capstones from the original North Kitsap Union High School, the gateway to the future for Poulsbo students from 1930 to 1986.

Students are now restoring the capstones, and replicating missing pieces, for display on campus.

First, some history:

Talk of the need for a high school began in 1916. By 1929, the nearly 40-year-old Poulsbo Grade School — serving grades K-12 — was neither large nor safe enough to handle the expanding student body, and a new building was a necessity.

“Despite the fact that the country was

standing on the brink of the Great Depression, the district voted funds necessary to construct the new high school at $45,500,” according to the book, “The Spirit Of Poulsbo.”

North Kitsap Union High School opened to students Dec. 5, 1930. It was located between Peterson and Sunset Streets, off of Front Street. Much of the school was torn down in 1986 in favor of the high school on Caldart Avenue, though the school’s gymnasium remains as the Poulsbo Recreation Center.

Phil Campbell, a North Kitsap Union alum and teacher at North Kitsap, fondly recalled the two-story brick building and the large capstones that proclaimed “North Kitsap Union High School” above the entrance.

“It really was a beautiful building,” he said.

Then, 10 years ago, as he was walking through Raab Park, something in the ground — behind a chain link fence by the water tower — caught his attention.

“Everything else was turned over, except for the one that read, ‘High.’ I couldn’t think of anything else it could be,” he said.

Campbell brought it up to more than one superintendent, but there was no follow-up by the administration.

So, on a late sunny afternoon in June 2015, Campbell and North Kitsap engineering teacher Eric Nieland decided to take the initiative.

“For 10 years, I’ve been wanting to get this done. I was so excited about this,” Campbell said. With three other North Kitsap instructors and, with trucks and tools, they unearthed six sandstone slabs, each weighing 500 pounds.

“I wanted to give them back to the community,” Campbell said. “So we moved the slabs ourselves. At least we knew at the high school they would be stored safely.”

For Campbell, the capstones are a symbol of “Poulsbo’s growth from a scattered community to a place of leadership.” For Nieland, this is a “legacy project.”

“We call these legacy projects, because they live on forever,” he said. “It’s something you will leave behind, it’s transformative and shows your growth. Like a time capsule, working on a permanent fixture like this project solidifies your presence.”

Nieland and interested high school students plan to restore the capstones, using CAD software to recreate the missing elements: the “Scho” in “School,” and the words “North” and “Kitsap.”

“In our engineering program, students are understanding how these problems get solved while working with professionals to see their process,” Nieland said. “Here, they get a taste for the real world now. Maybe then they will realize, ‘I could continue doing this.’ ”

He added, “It’s actually cooler in a way. I’m letting the kids handle the concept and generate their ideas. It’s not my project, it’s theirs.”

Seniors Serita Solis and Kori Hansen, who are leading the project, want the capstones to become a ground fixture on campus. According to their determination, the sign’s original  length is 38 feet.

“It’s really interesting,” Hansen said. “I had no idea there was another school. It’s cool to know that from this big project our school will continue to learn about its history.”

Solis added, “We want to leave a lasting impression. We’re not sure the effect but we hope it will bring clubs and people together to work for the same goal. Our main goal is community involvement … Hopefully, this will start a chain reaction for younger classes to start a legacy too.”

Nieland said there is no funding available for the project, so they will be relying on the generosity of the community.

Campbell said the capstones “really are an anchor to the past.”

Who stored the slabs at the park is a mystery, but Campbell said, “God bless whoever saved them. I thought they’d be destroyed.”

Regarding the “North” and “Kitsap” slabs, Nieland wondered, “Are they in a patio, or a retaining wall? I’ll bet they’re out there somewhere.” Campbell said they could be buried deeper at the same site. “We never really went back and looked.”

Campbell added, “I haven’t given up on archaeological digs in Raab Park.”

To help support the project, email enieland@nkschools.org.

If you have information regarding the demolition of the old high school or the missing sandstone slabs, contact the Herald at 360-779-4464.

North Kitsap Union High School and the capstones, as shown in the 1948 yearbook. Submitted photo

These sandstone capstones were made 85 years ago for the original North Kitsap Union High School. Sophie Bonomi / Herald

In the following photos, volunteers prepare to load each 500-pound capstone into a truck. Sophie Bonomi / Herald

Phil Campbell and Eric Nieland admire the 85-year-old capstones from Poulsbo’s first high school, June 10. Sophie Bonomi / Herald

Seniors Serita Solis and Kori Hansen inspect and clean the sandstone slabs, Nov. 10. Restoration and permanent placement of the slabs is their “legacy project.” Sophie Bonomi / Herald